Fate Island
by AvantAviator
Summary: Zoro knew this was a bad idea from the start; stopping at this island, the one that somehow went uncharted despite having sailed that same route at least twice before. Now thanks to this dumb place, he has no choice but to finally acknowledge his hidden feelings for the ship's navigator or else risk lose her forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary: **It's said there exists an island impossible to find, the only way to ever come across it is if you're bound by fate. Well, the Straw Hats have. But is it because they're the chosen ones to unearth the island's unimaginable hidden treasure, or does the island have something else in store for them?

Zoro knew this was a bad idea from the start; stopping at this island, the one that somehow went uncharted despite having sailed that same route at least two times before. There was just something about it that didn't set well with him, and all this crazy talk about 'fate' and 'destiny' didn't help either. Now thanks to this dumb place, he has no choice but to finally acknowledge his hidden feelings for the ship's navigator or else risk losing her forever.

**A/N:** This is my first One Piece fanfiction, so I hope it's okay! It's mainly Nami/Zoro but there is some Nami/OC for storytelling purposes. Will also include some tidbits of Franky/Robin as well, and later will be rated M. Pre-timeskip and Pre-Brook. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

There was nothing that Zoro loved more than calm ocean waters and blue skies paired with a quiet crew, all too busy with their own projects for once to make too much noise or somehow get into trouble like they usually did when they were bored with nothing to entertain them.

Picking up those illustrated history books on Gold Roger at that last island had been a great idea on Robin's part to keep the captain occupied, and it seemed to work pretty well, seeing as how Luffy was sat up in the beams of the main mast as he flipped through the pages in awe. Maybe he wasn't actually reading anything, but at least the pictures kept him quiet for the most part, and that was all Zoro ultimately cared about.

The sound of Franky's hammer tapping against the wood of the ship brought Zoro out of his slumber carefully and back to the conscious world, though he kept his eyes closed. It wasn't like he'd get a chance like this again to relax anytime soon, knowing the minute he opened his eyes that Nami would probably be breathing down his back about his debt, or worse, Luffy would notice and drop his book to come bother him, so he tried to milk the moment for what it was worth.

There was a series of tinny-sounding _clangs_ from the ship's kitchen, followed by a loud "_Dammit!_"

Zoro smirked.

"Island ahead!" Usopp shouted from the front of the ship, forefinger jutted out in front of him. "Repeat: Island ahead! Looks like a summer island!"

Sanji, looking frustrated, poked his head out from the kitchen. "Summer island? You sure about that?"

"Positive!"

Zoro feigned sleep a little while longer until it'd be impossible, waiting for the cue to wake up and set to work getting ready to port. He expected to hear the usual: Nami barking out orders, commotion as the rest of the crew scurried to follow them, but none of it came. Confused, he cracked open an eye to find that instead of Nami standing in her usual place on the balcony with the Log Pose, it was Robin.

"That's strange," Robin mused. "This can't possibly be the island. We shouldn't be here for at least another two days." She looked down at the Log Pose with a troubled expression. "The needle isn't even pointing in the right direction. It's off slightly to the left."

"Huh?" Franky grunted and joined Robin on the balcony, forgetting all about patching up the head-sized hole in the deck left from Luffy's latest escapades. He tapped the glass with a large finger and Robin put a hand over his to remind him that he needed to be extra cautious with such a fragile item. Franky frowned, opting to palm the back of his neck in slight embarrassment instead.

"Maybe it's just broke or something. I can take a look at it."

"While I'm more than confident in your abilities, I highly doubt this is the case. It was doing just fine ten minutes ago and I've done everything possible to ensure it's safety. Besides, the island we're headed for is supposed to be a winter island."

"You think we should just ask Nami? Navigating is sorta her thing, afterall."

Zoro decided that then was the best time to jump into the conversation and ask what he'd been wondering since he woke up to such an unfamiliar sight.

"Where is Nami?"

The elders looked over to see Zoro watching them, waiting for an answer. Robin glanced back down at the Log Pose with a frown and mimicked Franky's earlier actions.

"Not that it's not nice to see you or anything," Zoro assured her when he realized his tone and choice wording at the time could have been a lot less gruff. Franky crossed his arms over his chest and stood tall next to the raven haired woman. "But it's just odd not seeing that she-devil doing what she does best and yelling at the rest of us."

"You're right. I do suppose things seem somewhat strange without her here," Robin nodded with that smirk of hers that made Zoro deign her untrustable when she had first joined the crew. "Nami has been feeling a bit under the weather recently, so I've been taking care of looking after the Log Pose for the time being."

Zoro sat up straight at that. "Nami's sick?" he asked, a small hint of worry laced in his constant sound of disbelief when it came to talking about the slippery navigator. Still, she was part of the crew—an absolutely indispensable one, at that—and even though the two of them fought and argued often, she was no less than a friend to him as much as she was a thorn in his side.

"Since when?"

"The past couple of days since we left the last island," Robin said. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed, but I figure that's what happens when you spend the whole day sleeping."

He hadn't been aware she'd been sick—he'd just figured she was too busy counting out what she'd managed to loot from the last band of pirates who had been unfortunate enough to get in the way of the Straw Hats.

"Hey, I think I deserve a little shuteye since I've been taking care of night watch duty," Zoro grumbled defensively. When Robin turned to speak with Franky instead, he pushed himself up from the lawn deck and looked around, realizing for the first time since they'd shoved off that he hadn't seen Nami at all.

He yawned, stretched his arms up over his head and contemplated paying her a visit. Even though she wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world, he liked to make sure everyone was alright, and Nami did sort of have a knack for getting into situations that he had to get her out of.

He knew that nothing serious could be wrong with the redhead after noticing Luffy at the helm laughing loudly along with Usopp; Luffy was not one to sit idly by when a friend was in danger, especially her. Still, even though it could come at the cost of a pointless argument and earning one of her infamous wallops to the head, Zoro felt personally obligated to check in with the girl himself.

The first place he checked was the infirmary, assuming she'd be under the watchful eye of Chopper, but found neither the reindeer or the navigator. He mentally slapped himself. There'd be no reason for her to stay in there if it wasn't serious. He headed for the women's quarters next, sure that's where she'd be.

The moment he went to push the door open, someone tugged at his pants. Zoro looked down, surprised to see the tiny brown-furred doctor staring back up at him with a stern look.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, right. Forgot to knock first."

"You can't go in there!"

"What? Why not?" Zoro asked the medic, who'd thrown himself in front of the door so that Zoro couldn't get through.

"Because, that's the girls' room!"

Zoro didn't understand what the big deal was. "So? There's no one in there but Nami, and it's not like I'm just barging in or anything. I'll knock. See—"

Chopper jumped up and swatted Zoro's hand from the door, who was starting to grow impatient.

"Chopper, what the hell is your problem!"

"I said you can't go in there!"

"What does it matter if it's the girls' quarters or the guys' quarters!" the swordsman yelled. "It's not like there's anything special in there that the whole crew hasn't seen before!"

The little reindeer looked worried but stood his ground. He knew that the swordsman had a bit of a soft spot reserved for him more so than the others, so he wasn't too afraid to tell it like it was: "I didn't want to hurt your feelings but you leave me no choice. It's not good for Nami to be placed under stress right now when she isn't feeling good, and well, you're the one person she fights with the most," Chopper explained. "It's best to let her be."

Zoro stared unamused at Chopper, though on the inside he felt a pang of hurt by his words. Chopper was basically telling him that he would do more harm than good in this situation. Even though usually he couldn't care less, hearing those words come from the reindeer in regards to someone Zoro actually went out of his way to constantly look out for and save did sting.

Zoro looked at the door, then back down at the reindeer, then once again back up at the door. He considered just pushing through without listening, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't go against the doctor's orders, especially when it came to Nami.

_Wait, why do I even care if it's Nami on the other side of that door? Just because she has me going out of my way constantly to save her sorry ass doesn't mean I care about her any more than the rest of the idiots on this ship. What am I even doing here,_ Zoro thought as he turned on his heel to head back to his spot on the lawn. Even though he refused to see it for what it was, deep down he had at least an inkling for the true reason he held Nami on a sort of makeshift pedestal of his.

The sound of a door opened and closed behind him. He looked over his shoulder to find Sanji standing in front of the women's quarters with the unconscious navigator cradled carefully in his arms, bridal style. Zoro waited for Chopper to say something—specifically to yell at Sanji for bothering Nami when she needed to rest—but it never came. Instead, Chopper and the cook just shared a friendly smile and a nod. Zoro growled and whipped around, finally catching Sanji's attention.

"What's he doing here?" Sanji asked Chopper, though his now hardened stare was concentrated on the swordsman.

"I should be asking you the same question," Zoro said heatedly. He could hear the musings of the rest of his crew behind him on the deck growing louder and louder, along with an excited Luffy shouting something about a new place to explore. Zoro paid them no mind.

"What are you doing with Nami? Chopper said she can't be bothered right now, she should be in bed. Isn't that right, Chopper?" Zoro shot the reindeer a smug grin, expecting for Chopper to back him up, but the reindeer was already gone.

"Who do you think has been taking care of her all this time?" Sanji asked rhetorically. "Since Chopper's been busy with his work, he asked me to watch over Nami. Not that I wouldn't have already done so without him even asking." He rolled his lit cigarette to the other corner of his lips so that the smoke would blow farther away from the redhead in his arms. Zoro wanted to rip it from his mouth and stomp it out. "Now what are _you_ doing here? The ladies' room is no place for a mindless brute such as yourself."

"Yeah? Well this mindless brute is gonna kick your ass, how about that?"

"Maybe later you can try. If you haven't noticed, my arms are a bit full right now and there's no way I'm going to chance the possibility of Nami getting hurt in the crossfire from those shitty swords of yours. Now get out of my way," Sanji ordered and continued towards the swordsman. Zoro didn't let the cook pass.

_You think just because you feed her, that gives you the right to talk down at me about her? I protect her, I keep her safe. These swords have and never will hurt her, you idiot cook. They've done more to keep her out of harms way than you ever will._

"Where are you going with her? She's supposed to be in bed, not outside like this."

"It's bath time. Problem?"

Zoro gritted his teeth. Before he had a chance to loudly (and angrily) explain all the reasons why that was indeed problematic, the captain slungshot himself into Zoro's back, forcing the swordsman face first into the wall of the cabin.

"Luffy, what the hell—!"

"We're gonna get some more meat from that island!" Luffy shouted and cheered over Zoro's complaints. Zoro pushed himself back and rubbed his temple.

"What are you going on about? What island?"

"The island I was talking about earlier," Robin said as she joined their captain's side. "The seemingly uncharted one. I took the liberty to pour over the maps Nami had made previously from where we've been on the Grand Line but found nothing, despite the fact we've already sailed this route at least twice before."

"Well that's weird," Zoro said. "So what's the deal about getting meat, then?"

"We're stopping at the island."

"I thought we were on a schedule?"

"Not necessarily. Besides, we need to restock on supplies and everyone is a bit antsy; I believe we would all benefit from a little vacation time after what happened at the last island," Robin explained. Zoro couldn't argue with her on that—that had been one nasty showdown against those not-so-friendly bandits—but he wasn't too keen on taking a detour to this mysterious island. "Taking two or three days off won't hurt."

"Get ready to port!" Usopp bellowed as he ran across the deck. Franky followed his lead, heading in the opposite direction. Sanji and Zoro continued their staring contest among the commotion.

"Don't you think you should be helping?" Sanji asked.

Zoro grunted. "What, so you can run off and put your pervert hands all over Nami in peace?" He turned to Robin, who seemed unamused with their little spat. "If we're seriously stopping at this island, someone's got to stay back and watch the ship, especially if Nami's going to be in the cabin. We can't just leave her alone."

"She's not gonna be alone. She's coming with us," Sanji interrupted.

"Are you stupid? You can't just drag her around the damn island when you don't know what to expect. Do you want her to get even sicker, fancy brows?" Zoro resorted to insulting the cook when his thinly veiled proposition to personally guard the ship and the girl went up in flames without even having the chance to be considered.

"She's not going to be dragged anywhere, I'll carry her. I'm not going to let anything happen to Nami," Sanji assured the both of them. "The first thing we're doing is finding a town where we can stay, that way Nami can rest comfortably on land without being too far from the rest of the crew. The last thing she needs is to be stuck on this ship with you antagonizing her."

Zoro racked his brain for some other possible reason to bring up on why Sanji's plan was ridiculous in comparison to his own, but the navigator in question began to stir in the cook's arms and snagged the attention of both the men. When the redhead let out a little groan and cracked an eye open, Sanji immediately went into Nami-mode.

"Oh, my darling angel! Is everything alright? Is there anything I can possibly do for you?" Sanji cooed down at the girl in his arms, more quiet than he usually did due to her current state. Nami simply groaned again, blinking half-heartedly up at the swordsman and causing him to hold his breath in anticipation before shutting her eyes and tucking her face back into the cook's chest.

"You poor thing, is that shitty swordsman bothering you? Don't worry, he has grunt work to do. He won't be pestering my Nami-swan while I'm around."

Zoro glared at the blonde who mouthed at him to '_go_.' He contemplated staying and defending himself, telling Sanji that if anyone was bothering Nami it was _him_, but he didn't want to start a fight when Nami was between the both of them. Besides, he didn't care much to have Robin in his business. She was far too intuitive for her own good, and Zoro was afraid she'd find and call out what he himself was so hell bent on refusing to acknowledge.

So with an irritated growl and his hands balled into fists, Zoro turned on his heel and left to man the sails.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow, thanks for the incredibly nice reviews, guys! I really appreciate it! I wish I could update this story faster but I work and it's very time consuming, and also I apologize for the short chapter; this was originally going to be part of Ch. 1 but I didn't want to make chapters too long for anyone! Anyways, thanks again!

* * *

"Hey, look!" Chopper shouted and ran ahead towards a small wooden sign set before two split-off roads from the one they were on now. One side pointed to the right with the words **KUROKO VILLAGE, 15 MILES** in bold red lettering, while the other pointing left read **CAPITAL CITY, 2 MILES**. "We're not too far from a town!"

"Well I think it's obvious which way we're going. My feet are killing me," Sanji murmured.

Luffy scratched beneath his hat. "Huh? What's obvious?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Zoro assured his captain, otherwise Luffy would dwell on the dilemma at hand for too long before ultimately deciding to take the high road. "We're going to Capital City."

It shouldn't be too long now until they reached civilization; another hour at the most. Zoro was glad they'd managed to find a town so quickly, but part of him wanted so badly for Sanji to have to eat his words and admit that leaving Nami on the ship with him would have been the best plan. Nothing was worse than losing an argument to that idiot cook. Still, he couldn't complain. Having Nami out in the middle of the forest like this couldn't possibly be good.

Speaking of the ship, there wasn't much of an incentive to stay back and guard it when Nami was out with the others, but Zoro had already put his foot in his mouth earlier. Thankfully Robin had offered to take over the position for the day, with Franky quickly suggesting it'd be best for him to stay back with her as well—for extra support if something were to go wrong, of course. No matter, Zoro was only more than glad that he could freely wander the island with the rest of the crew to keep an eye on Nami and that filthy cook.

He shook his head free of those unusual thoughts and tried to reason with himself. _What the hell am I talking about? I don't give a damn what Nami or that stupid cook does. I'm only here because someone's got to look out for Luffy, especially when Sanji's got his hands full… and for Nami, I guess… but that's it. Because she's sick._

His thoughts were cut short when he heard a soft, feminine cough. Looking up from the pebbles on the dirt path he'd been so hyper-focused on, he found Nami peeking over Sanji's shoulder at him with heavy lidded eyes.

Zoro wondered frantically what he should do with the small amount of time he had with her undivided attention. He could try saying something to her—maybe ask her if she was feeling okay—but Sanji had already beat him to that on the ship earlier and he was sure he'd just get tongue tied anyway.

He decided to just give her a small smile instead, which he realized too late had turned out to be just another variation of his usual trademark scowl when Nami ducked back down into Sanji's arms. Sanji looked back at the swordsman with a perked brow.

"What are you doing back there? You're bothering Nami."

"Piss off. I barely looked at her."

"There's the problem, then. That horrible face of yours. It's upsetting my dear Nami-swan."

"Well that's too friggin bad! I can't just change my face, you moron!"

Before either of them could realize it, Chopper had seemingly materialized between the two feuding men in his heavy point form and smacked them both upside the head.

"You're _both_ bothering Nami! Now be quiet before she gets a headache to go with her upset stomach!"

Before long, the Straw Hats had conquered the two mile trek to civilization. Expecting to find a simple village like so many they'd come across on other islands before, they were astonished when the moment they pushed their way through a screen of unruly brush and greenery to find a smooth cobblestone road leading into a bustling and heavily populated town square.

Capital City was beautiful; with an old-town victorian charm to it, the buildings and architecture were amazing, and the landscape was no different. Clean cut box hedges lined the more grandiose-looking homes, and all of the greenery and plant life grew healthy and lush. Usopp and Chopper _'oohed'_ and _'ahhhed'_ at it all.

Something that smelled absolutely delicious wafted out the doors of a corner bistro and caught the immediate attention of Luffy. Zoro kept his hand fisted in the fabric of his shirt so that he wouldn't stray from the rest of them.

"But Zoro—!"

"Shut up! We don't have time for you to stuff your fat face right now, we need to find a place to stay," Sanji added. Despite the flocks of stunning young women that surrounded him, Sanji was far too occupied with getting Nami someplace safe and comfortable for her to rest.

They tried to ask around and find out if there were any inns nearby, but it was next to impossible to start up a conversation with anyone around. It was far too loud; people were cheering and shouting and singing and dancing, and Zoro was starting to get irritated. What was the big deal? What was everyone so happy about? He just wanted to find a room and get this night over with so they could get back on the ocean. He'd already had enough of this island.

Eventually they found themselves among the crowded paved streets of an outdoor flea market. Usopp spotted an old woman sweeping around her little produce stand and decided to get some answers.

"Hey, lady! What's with all the noise? What's got everyone all excited?"

The old woman ceased her cleaning and looked up with a smile. "Why, it's a holiday!"

"A holiday, huh? What're we celebrating?"

"It's the weekend before the town's election for mayor!"

"Mayor?" Usopp scratched his head and looked back around at the city square, where people were dancing merrily around the large marble fountain. "Kind of a strange thing to get so worked up about, don't you think?"

"Oh dear, nonsense no!" The shopkeeper shushed. "The mayoral election is a huge month-long event that everyone takes part in! Parties, music, dancing, crafts… there's something for everyone! Besides, we always find a reason to celebrate in this town, no matter how big or small the occasion. We're the happiest place on the island, you know!"

"Yeah, parties! Woo-hoo!" Luffy punched the air in excitement. "Does that mean there are buffets? With lots and lots of meat?"

Zoro put a hand on his captain's shoulder in an attempt to settle him.

The shopkeeper laughed. "You're not from around here, are you? Well it's certainly a fine time for fate to have brought you," she said, leaning her broom against the wall to focus her full attention on the Straw Hats. Her bright smile faded when her gaze fell on the sickly redhead in Sanji's arms. "Oh my—the poor thing! Is that girl going to be alright?"

"Well we _hope_ so," Usopp said.

"She'd be better off with somewhere to rest," Sanji interjected, nudging the sniper out of his way. "You know of anywhere around this place where we could get a room for a night or two?"

The woman nodded and pointed them in the direction of what was supposedly the best-priced inn in the area. Sanji thanked her and wasted no time in leading the rest of the group, while occasionally kicking Luffy in the shins as he complained about starving to death.

When they were halfway down the road, the old woman shouted out merrily: "Oh, and welcome to the island! Fate must've brought you here!"

_That's the second time she'd mentioned that stupid word. She can't possibly be serious,_ Zoro thought. It left a nervous feeling in his gut as they rounded the corner and the small produce stand disappeared out of sight.

* * *

The hotel was easy to find: a nice sized red-brick building nestled in-between a novelty trinket shop and a sword shop, across the street from a bar. The courtyard was filled with people talking and loud cheers, their faces flushed red from all the alcohol. Zoro considered splitting off from the rest of the group to go and spend the little he had on a bottle or two of sake before Nami felt good enough to badger him about what he owed her, but decided to hold off until the rooming situation was settled.

Sanji, of course, suggested that he roomed with the red-haired navigator, which had Zoro gritting his teeth out of annoyance with the love cook.

"That'd be a stupid idea. He'd just spend all night drooling over her."

"At least I can make sure she's alright! You'd just sleep all day, completely forgetting about my poor sick Nami-swan!"

"I wasn't suggesting that _I_ room with her, dumbass!"

Chopping fiddled his hooves. "Um, guys? I think it'd be best if I share a room with Nami since I can keep an eye on her. I'll have all of my medicines with me incase she needs something."

Sanji seemed pleased with the reservations, which Zoro just rolled his eyes about.

The group agreed that they would all split up into four pair of twos and would only get three rooms, with one pair of them staying back to guard the ship; for tonight, it was Franky and Robin. Everyone decided to retire for the night since it was getting late, and aside from Nami and Chopper sharing a room, Luffy was paired with Usopp, while Zoro was (unhappily) paired with Sanji.

Zoro decided that being left alone in a room with the cook wasn't the best idea in the world at the moment, so he went out to the hall balcony for some fresh air and to wait til Sanji (hopefully) dozed off before he himself could call it a night.

The bar across the street beckoned for Zoro to come, but he couldn't bring himself to go through with his earlier plans and stayed put instead. He was worried that something would happen while he was away—whether they'd be ambushed by the overly-friendly inn staff who'd only been too pleasant and nice enough to get them a discount, or if Luffy managed to get them all into trouble himself—Zoro wanted to stay on guard and keep an eye out. He didn't quite trust this place; nobody was this friendly to newcomers, especially pirates.

Zoro inwardly laughed as he thought about what Nami's reaction would be to the price they had to pay for their rooms. Even though they'd gotten a heavy discount, he knew how the navigator was with money: stingy as all hell and stubborn to pay even at half-price.

He caught himself grinning at the idea and quickly wiped his face clear of any expression other than his usual bored one. He'd never let himself get carried away enough to grin like that when thinking about Nami.

_What the hell was that about?_

Across the courtyard in a small field before the forest, there were a couple of groves of what seemed to be tangerine trees, but the fruit hanging from them was a bit larger than the ones on the ship. Zoro suddenly had an odd craving for one of them, which was unusual since he couldn't care less about them at any other given moment.

He squinted, considered going across to pick a couple, but didn't. They probably tasted nothing like the ones Nami grew, and he would only end up disappointed.

He shook his head.

_Seriously, what? What do I care about some dumb fruit? Jeez._

After about an hour of watching and waiting, the swordsman yawned. Things seemed to be okay, and he wasn't as anxious about getting ambushed as he'd been earlier… his guard had been slowly lowering while he'd been people watching, and though he felt as if he should be worried for being so at ease, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Zoro managed to sleep easy that night, even with Sanji sleep-talking about Robin and Nami next to him on the queen sized bed, and the muted sound of happy laughter and excited cheers outside.


End file.
